Datil Pepper Chili!  Yum!

Hard to believe it’s already November.  Fall should be in the air, but with temps in the 80’s outside, all I can do right now is dream about cooler weather.  Of course, that didn’t stop me from wanting one of my go-to fall and winter comfort foods: Chili.  A huge pot of chili simmering on the stove or in a crock pot always makes me feel good.  The whole house smells rich and delicious with the aromatic scent of simmering onions, garlic, tomatoes and cumin.

I can’t make anything, well, almost anything, without spicing it up.  I love my St. Augustine datil peppers, and they go in just about everything I cook.  I am the Datil Pepper Lady, after all.  Of course, chili just screams out for heat, so I toss in a whole jar of Old St Augustine Snake Bite Datil Pepper Salsa.
Snake Bite Datil Pepper Salsa
What’s not to love about salsa made in small batches, with fresh ingredients, and of course, datil peppers from St. Augustine, Florida?  It gives the chili a unique taste that you can’t get with any other pepper.  If you want to take it hotter, you can always add in a few drops of Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, First Place Winner – 2018 International Flavor Awards.  For a more intense heat sensation, toss in some Venom Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, or a pinch of Nuthin’ But Datil pure ground datil pepper powder.

Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce

Venom Datil Pepper Hot Sauce

Nuthin’ But Datil

I really like beans in my chili, and  typically I use several different varieties, changing them up depending on my mood, or just what’s in the pantry.  For this batch, I used black beans, cannellini beans and pinto beans.  But you can also use kidney beans, great northern beans, garbanzo beans (chick peas), navy beans and red beans.  Regardless of the kind of beans, I always empty them into a colander and rinse them with water to remove the seasonings – especially sodium – and the starchy liquid.  I want to flavor the chili with my own seasonings, and get rid of the “tinny” taste some beans have right out of the can.

Fun Facts:

• January 6th is National Bean Day.
• The U.S. Senate Restaurant serves bean soup every day.
• Lima beans contain cyanide, and must be cooked thoroughly for at least 10 minutes to make them safe to eat.
• Beans are members of the legume family.
• Black beans are also called turtle beans, and are from South America.
• Artist Peter Rocha designed a mosaic style portrait of Ronald Reagan, which is composed of 10,000 jelly beans.  It hangs in Reagan’s presidential library in Simi Valley, California.  .

Nutritional information:  Beans are amazing little powerhouses of nutritional goodness.  They are extremely high in protein, making them a great choice for vegetarians and meat eaters as well.  The complex carbohydrates in beans, along with their high fiber content, can help keep diabetes under control, reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and help prevent colorectal cancer.

Black beans:  1/2 cup of back beans has 100 calories, 6 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat,  0 grams of cholesterol, 18 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of fiber.

I talked about anthocyanins in my last blog on purple sweet potatoes.  Anthocyanins are the flavoniod that gives the bright, vibrant color red, purple or blue color to plants, as well as the deep black color to black beans.  Due to the high concentration of anthocyanin flavonoids, black beans can  provide a wealth of phytonutrients to your diet.

Cannellini beans:  1/2 cup of cannellini beans contains 100 calories, 7 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of sugar. Cannellini beans contain a wealth of B vitamins, including B12.  They also provide iron, potassium, zinc, and other essential minerals.

Pinto beans:  1/2 cup of pinto beans has 100 calories, 6 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of sugar. They are a natural source of molybdenum, which helps counteract the side effects of sulfites, like those contained in wine, certain dried fruits, molasses and sauerkraut.  Sulfites can cause headaches, hives, dizziness, and can increase asthma symptoms.

Although I put meat in this chili, you can always leave it out and have a wonderful vegetarian meal.  Either way, you will have an amazing bowl of spicy, datil-delicious chili.  I don’t eat red meat, but I do eat organic chicken and turkey.  For this recipe, I used lean, ground, organic turkey to give the chili some body, and because my hubby loves it that way.   The turkey is sauteed with onions and lots of garlic before adding a large can of tomatoes, a whole jar of Old St Augustine Snake Bite Datil Pepper Salsa, three cans of beans, and a large amount of cumin.

I think tomatoes need salt to bring out their flavor, so about a teaspoon of sea salt got thrown in the mix.  Chili, like most soups and stews, is much, much better the second or third day, so I try to plan ahead, knowing that I want to let it age, so to speak.  The flavors marry and mingle, and the layers of ingredients get happy in the pot if you can just wait to eat it later.  It also freezes well, and making a big pot is just as easy as making a small batch, so you might just as well go ahead on and make it for a crowd.  When all of my boys were living at home, a large pot of anything, whatever it was,  didn’t last more than one, maybe two meals at most.

Enjoy this wonderful, spicy, datil pepper chili.  And remember to Stay Spicy!

Snake Bite Datil Pepper Chili

Prep Time:  30 minutes

Cook Time:  3-4 hours (crock pot on high, or in Dutch oven on stove on medium to low heat) or 6-8 hours (crock pot of low)

**  You can certainly cook this for 30 minutes to an hour and eat it, but it is so much better if cooked longer on low heat, allowing the flavors to meld.

Total Time:  4 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours depending on cooking method.  See above. 

Servings: 10-12 

Calories: Approximately 228

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 30 mins

Cuisine Chicken & Poultry

Servings 12

Calories 228 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound organic ground turkey
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can) diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 1 (16 oz) jar Old St Augustine Snake Bite Medium Datil Pepper Salsa
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (16 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (16 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• Sour cream, for garnish, if desired
• Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish, if desired
• Sliced jalapeno peppers, for garnish, if desired

Instructions

 

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Add ground turkey and cook until browned.  Approximately 5 minutes.
• Add onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic to pan and cook another few minutes.
• Transfer meat mixture to a large crock pot or a Dutch oven.
• If using a crock pot, turn on high to cook for three to four hours, or on low to cook six to eight hours.  On the stove, if using a Dutch oven, cook over medium heat, then reduce to low once it starts to bubble.
• Add the can of tomatoes and the Old St Augustine Gourmet Snake Bite Datil Pepper Salsa.
• Add cumin and salt to pot.
• Drain all three cans of beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly to remove all the starch, sodium, and sauce.
• Add drained beans to the pot and cover.
• Cook desired length of time.
• Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos if desired.
• Remember, this is always better the second day if you can wait that long to eat it!